IOPList.Org

Tapeworms are bad enough. They get inside
people, lay their eggs, and cause symptoms
such as diarrhea and weakness. And they can
infest a body for a lifetime.

But doctors were stunned to find out they can
do something worse: infect people with tumors.
"We were amazed when we found this new type of disease — tapeworms growing inside a person essentially getting cancer that spreads to the person, causing tumors," said Dr. Atis Muehlenbachs, a pathologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who helped figure out what happened.

"In January 2013, a 41-year-old man in Medellín, Colombia, presented with fatigue, fever, cough, and weight loss of several months' duration. He had received a diagnosis of HIV infection in 2006," Muehlenbachs and colleagues reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"WE WERE AMAZED WHEN WE
FOUND THIS NEW TYPE OF
DISEASE — TAPEWORMS
GROWING INSIDE A PERSON
ESSENTIALLY GETTING
CANCER THAT SPREADS TO THE PERSON, CAUSING TUMORS."

The man didn't take his HIV medication and he
was very heavily infected with dwarf tapeworms, known scientifically as Hymenolepis nana.

The parasites, which can grow up to an inch
and a half long, don't usually cause symptoms.
But they can reproduce inside people for years.

As many as 75 million people globally carry
them.

"People get the tapeworm by eating food
contaminated with mouse droppings or insects
or by ingesting feces from someone else who is infected," CDC said.

The patient was very ill and his stool was full of tapeworm eggs, the international team of
researchers reported. And his lungs and lymph
nodes were full of tiny little tumors like no one
had seen before.

"The tumors looked similar to a human cancer,
but initial CDC lab studies revealed the cancer-
like cells were not human," the CDC said in a
statement.

Maybe it was a slime mold, the team thought. As they investigated, the patient got worse and he died a few months later.

A barrage of tests showed the little clusters of tumor cells had the same DNA as the tapeworms.

"THE TUMORS LOOKED
SIMILAR TO A HUMAN
CANCER, BUT INITIAL CDC
LAB STUDIES REVEALED THE
CANCER-LIKE CELLS WERE
NOT HUMAN."

It's the first time a parasite has been found to
spread cancer. Viruses and bacteria can cause
cancer — the human papillomavirus (HPV)
causes cervical and anal cancer and
Helicobacter pylori bacteria cause stomach
cancer. But no one thought a tapeworm could do it, until now.

"We think this type of event is rare,"
Muehlenbachs said.

---

"However, this tapeworm is found worldwide and millions of people globally suffer from
conditions like HIV that weaken their immune
system. So there may be more cases that are
unrecognized. It's definitely an area that
deserves more study."

It could even be that tapeworm infections in
people get mistaken for cancer, the researchers said.

Tapeworms can be eliminated with drugs, but it's not clear if those drugs would clear up
tumors. It's also not clear if chemotherapy drugs would work against them.

No one ever knew tapeworms could get cancer, either, but the cells were clearly malignant.

"The host-parasite interaction that we report
should stimulate deeper exploration of the
relationships between infection and cancer," the researchers concluded.

is this a good morning thread, my friend, Ice? cause, excuse me whilst I barf.

icky pooh pete.

ok, i always knew cancer was contagious. Because my sister was a big shot hospital president. We mocked my good sister whom avoided our house, like the plague, when I was caregiving my parents with cancer. But, types of cancer are contagious. They are.

But, the tapeworms. Lord have mercy. Having done animal rescue until death of spouse in 2007, I am in the habit of checking animals for the eggs. You can see them. You give a medicine and they are gone.

But, in the early 1950's, drug manufacturers actually put out a weight loss product. Geared toward women. And, hell, it was working. Turns out, the women were taking in tapeworms to lose weight. When that info came to light, the company was shut down.

Man, those things r grotesque.

Well I certainly feel like drinking my ensure now.

Anyone have a barf bag handy? just, ewwwwww.

I'm sorry Charon... I too found this ... Aweful...

They're bad enough, without cancerous tumors coming along with them....

Ice

Its imperative information, Ice.

Those of us whom did cat rescue knew we could get Multiple Schlerosis from doing so.

I raised the orphaned kittens. The ferals. (And, one gets to deal with all sorts of parasitic activity.)

This confirms a lot of what the vets would tell us.

Its a good article. Thank you.

Tape worms. Yuck.  Did you know that years ago they were sold as a 'diet aid'???  Amazing and stupefying. 

CAUTION:  Graphic Content!

Ah, but those are "sanitized" tape worms. I knew they sold them to women for weight loss.

Me mother saw a worm in one of our rescues stool once. She never forgot it.

So, I won't even tell ya what happens if u are awaiting trapping of ferals (wild kitties) and they get an open wound.

I shall only say that one cannot remove the form of worm. It would be poisonous to pussy cat then. So, one must use enough Peroxide on it,on the wound, to make it come out on its own.

I think I grossed out enough people for the day. My work is done.

@Charon, not the eggs. It was proven. Many women died as a result. Tape worms are parasites, living off the host.

Sanitised or no, tape worms are not good for any mammal. The absorb vital nutrients and rob the body of any nutrition, hence, starvation if if goes on long enough.

oh, i know. i was kidding. we irish have strange senses of humor as i reckon u would know.

The irony and audacity of the ad that said: sanitized. As though that would make a difference.

Thank u for clarification though, CL.